Air delivery lock for a cargo located in an aircraft and a restraint system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10689115-B2
Application number	US-201815914901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2018
Priority date	Mar 24, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

An air delivery lock for a cargo located in an aircraft includes a housing, a restraining device having an engagement end for contacting and restraining the cargo, and a force reaction end, a bell crank having a bell crank joint for swivably mounting the bell crank, an elastically deformable force introduction unit, and a latching unit. The restraining device is swivably mounted on a leg of the bell crank around a restraining device axis. The force introduction unit is attached to a second leg of the bell crank and the force reaction end of the restraining device. A first guide attached to the housing and a second guide attached to the restraining device prevent rotation of the bell crank until a predetermined release force is reached on the engagement end of the restraining device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Air delivery lock for a cargo pallet located in an aircraft, comprising:
a housing;
a restraining device having an engagement end for contacting and restraining the cargo pallet, and a force reaction end;
a bell crank having a bell crank joint for swivably mounting the bell crank;
an elastically deformable force introduction unit; and
a latching unit;
wherein the restraining device is swivably mounted on a first leg of the bell crank around a restraining device axis;
wherein the force introduction unit is attached to a second leg of the bell crank and the force reaction end of the restraining device;
wherein the latching unit comprises a first guide means and a second guide means;
wherein the first guide means is attached to a structurally fixed point of the housing and the second guide means is attached to the restraining device;
wherein the first guide means, the second guide means, the restraining device, the bell crank and the force introduction unit are designed that the first guide means allows a rotation of the restraining device around the restraining device axis, thereby deforming the force introduction unit, and prevents a rotation of the bell crank by limiting the motion of the second guide means, if the force acting on the engagement end is below a predetermined release force, and that the first guide means releases the second guide means if the force acting on the engagement end equals or exceeds the predetermined release force, thereby allowing the bell crank to rotate.

2. The air delivery lock according to claim 1 , wherein the first leg of the bell crank is arranged largely parallel to the deployment direction in a neutral state of the lock.

3. The air delivery lock according to claim 1 , further comprising an upper stop arranged above the first leg of the bell crank for limiting a vertical movability of the first leg of the bell crank in an upwards direction.

4. The air delivery lock according to claim 1 , further comprising a contacting head swivably mounted on the engagement end, the contacting head having a contacting surface capable for providing a surface contact with the cargo pallet to be deployed.

5. The air delivery lock according to claim 4 , wherein the contacting head is swivably mounted by means of a spherical joint.

6. The air delivery lock according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first guide means is a cam device;
wherein the second guide means is a pin;
wherein the first guide means has an outer cam surface facing to the bell crank joint, the outer cam surface having a first guide surface with a first mean slope and a second guide surface with a second mean slope, the first guide surface and the second guide surface being connected to each other; and
wherein the first guide means and the second guide means are designed that the pin slides on the first guide surface, thereby deforming the force introduction unit, and prevents the rotation of the bell crank, if the force acting on the engagement end is below the predetermined release force, and that the pin slides on the second guide surface, thereby allowing the bell crank to rotate about the bell crank axis, if the force acting on the engagement end equals or exceeds the predetermined release force.

7. The air delivery lock according to claim 6 , wherein the position of the cam device is selectively adjustable along the deployment direction such that the pin is situated above the second guide surface.

8. The air delivery lock according claim 1 ,
wherein the first guide means is a slotted gate device having a circular receiving space at least partially surrounded by at least one wall, the at least one wall forming an exit slot,
wherein the second guide means is a nose piece having a width adapted to the exit slot of the first guide means,
wherein the first guide means and the second guide means are arranged concentrically to the restraining device joint axis, and
wherein the first guide means and the second guide means are designed that the second guide means exits the first guide means through the exit slot if the force acting on the engagement end of the restraining device reaches or exceeds the predetermined release force.

9. The air delivery lock according to claim 8 , wherein the first guide means is crescent-shaped and the exit slot is symmetrically arranged in the first guide means.

10. The air delivery lock according to claim 8 , wherein the first guide means is adjustable in its rotational position through a self-locking gear arrangement.

11. An air delivery system, comprising:
at least a pair of parallel guide rails for carrying cargo pallets, which guide rails are extendable along a longitudinal axis of an aircraft; and
at least one air delivery lock, the air delivery lock comprising:
a housing;
a restraining device having an engagement end for contacting and restraining the cargo pallet, and a force reaction end;
a bell crank having a bell crank joint for swivably mounting the bell crank;
an elastically deformable force introduction unit; and
a latching unit;

wherein the restraining device is swivably mounted on a first leg of the bell crank around a restraining device axis;
wherein the force introduction unit is attached to a second leg of the bell crank and the force reaction end of the restraining device;
wherein the latching unit comprises a first guide means and a second guide means;
wherein the first guide means is attached to a structurally fixed point of the housing and the second guide means is attached to the restraining device;
wherein the first guide means, the second guide means, the restraining device, the bell crank and the force introduction unit are designed that the first guide means allows a rotation of the restraining device around the restraining device axis, thereby deforming the force introduction unit, and prevents a rotation of the bell crank by limiting the motion of the second guide means, if the force acting on the engagement end is below a predetermined release force, and that the first guide means releases the second guide means if the force acting on the engagement end equals or exceeds the predetermined release force, thereby allowing the bell crank to rotate.

12. The air delivery system according to claim 11 , wherein:
the first guide means is a cam device;
the second guide means is a pin;
the first guide means has an outer cam surface facing to the bell crank joint, the outer cam surface having a first guide surface with a first mean slope and a second guide surface with a second mean slope, the first guide surface and the second guide surface being connected to each other;
the first guide means and the second guide means are designed that the pin slides on the first guide surface, thereby deforming the force introduction unit, and prevents the rotation of the bell crank, if the force acting on the engagement end is below the predetermined release force, and that the pin slides on the second guide surface, thereby allowing the bell crank to rotate about the bell crank axis, if the force acting on the engagement end equals or exceeds the predetermined release force; and
the position of the cam device is selectively adjustable along the deployment direction such that the pin is situated above the second guide surface.

13. An aircraft having at least one cargo compartment and comprising at least one air delivery system according to claim 11 .

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Kalanja Mario

Classifications

• B64D1/10

  Stowage arrangements for the devices in aircraft · CPC title

• B64D9/00

  Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like · CPC title

• B64D9/003 Primary

  Devices for retaining pallets or freight containers · CPC title

• F16H37/12

  Gearings comprising primarily toothed or friction gearing, links or levers, and cams, or members of at least two of these types (gearings with cranks, eccentrics, or like members fixed to one rotary member and guided along tracks on the other F16H21/14; crank or eccentric gearings with cams or additional guides, or with members having rolling contact F16H21/28, F16H21/30) · CPC title

• B64D1/12 Primary

  Releasing · CPC title